Starting device for yarn carrier

ABSTRACT

A cylindrical yarn carrier on which yarn is wound at high winding speeds to form a yarn package is provided with a start-up device comprising an approximately tangentially disposed undercut yarn entrapping flap integrally formed in the wall of the yarn carrier at the outer surface and adjacent one end thereof. The rearward end of the flap is integral with the wall of the yarn carrier and the forward end and one longitudinal edge of the flap is undercut and open to receive a strand of yarn thereunder.

United States Patent [191 Moren, Jr.

June 4, 1974 STARTING DEVICE FOR YARN CARRIER [75] Inventor: Hugh G. Moren, Jr., Taylors, SC.

[73] Assignee: Baldt Corporation, New York, NY.

[22] Filed: June 19, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 371,557

[52] US. Cl. 242/l25.1, 242/18 PW [51 Int. Cl B65h 75/28 [58] Field of Search 242/l25.l, 125.2, 125, 242/18 PW, 18 EW,18 A, 25 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,753,124 7/1956 Gutcrmann 242/l25.1 X 3,263,408 8/1966 Mansfield ct al. .1 242/125.l X 3,411,726 11/1968 Engleman et al. 242/18 PW FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 12,391 5/1910 Great Britain 242/125.1

Primary Examiner-George F. Mautz Arturney, Agent, or FirmPennie & Edmonds [57] ABSTRACT A cylindrical yarn carrier on which yarn is wound at high winding speeds to form a yarn package is provided with a start-up device comprising an approximately tangentially disposed undercut yarn entrapping flap integrally formed in the wall of the yarn carrier at the outer surface and adjacent one end thereof. The rearward end of the flap is integral with the wall of the yarn carrier and the forward end and one longitudinal edge of the flap is undercut and open to receive a strand of yarn thereunder.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to yarn carriers on which yarn is wound at high winding speeds to form a yarn package.

2. Prior Art In the manufacture of yarn, the yarn emerging from the spinning machine is wound on a cylindrical yarn carrier at high winding speeds to form a yarn package. The yarn package comprising the yarn carrier and the yarn wound thereon is then transferred to subsequent operations for finishing the yarn and, ultimately, for use in the manufacture of textile products. In the course of the yarn finishing operations the yarn may be unwound from and rewound on a succession of different yarn carriers. Each time the yarn is rewound on a new yarn carrier the leading end of the yarn must be somehow secured to the yarn carrier so that, as the yarn carrier is rotated at high speed, the yarn will be drawn and wound thereon. This general procedure is applicable to all yarns (or threads or rovings) whether made of natural fibers or synthetic fibers and filaments, and if the latter whether they are monofilament or multifilament. Moreover, the yarn carrier (also called a bobbin or pirn or spool) may be a cardboard tube, a wooden spool or a plastic or metal tube.

In a typical operation, the yarn carrier comprises a cardboard cylinder that is mounted on a cantilevered winding chuck that rotates the cylinder at high speed. The cylinder has a knife-cut slot at one end that is designed to entrap and secure the yarn at the start of the winding operation. At start-up, the leading end of the yarn from the spinning machine is brought into contact with the slotted end of the rapidly spinning cylinder, whereupon theyarn is caught or entrapped by the slot and then drawn and wound on the rotating cylinder to form a yarn package. Quite often, the slot fails to catch and secure the end of the yarn, or the yarn is cut or broken by a sharp edge of the slot, thereby interfering with or interrupting the continuous high speed winding of the yarn on the yarn carrier.

After an intensive investigation of the problems encountered with cardboard yarn carriers having a startup slot of the type described, I have devised an improved yarn carrier made of thermoplastic material having a novel type of start-up device that eliminates the problems associated with the start-up slots of the aforesaid prior yarn carriers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The start-up device of the invention is for use in conjunction with a cylindrical yarn carrier on which yarn is wound on high winding speedsto form a yarn package. The device comprises an approximately tangentally disposed undercut yarn entrapping flap integrally formed in the wallof the yarn carrier at the outer surface and adjacent one end thereof. The rearward end of the flap is integral with the wall of the yarn carrier and the'forward end and one longitudinal edge of the flap is undercut and open-to receive a strand of yarn thereunder. In the preferred embodiment, the undercut yarn entrapping flap is defined by a planar slit formed in the wall of the yarn carrier adjacent the outer surface thereof. The slit is disposed substantially perpendicular to a diameter of the yarn carrier, one edge of the slit coinciding with the open longitudinal end of the undercut flap and the forward edge of the slit coinciding with the open forward edge of the flap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The improved yarn carrier of the invention will be better understood from the following description thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a yarn carrier mounted on a winding chuck showing the relationship of yarn and start-up device at start-up;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the yarn carrier and yarn at start-up;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the end of the yarn carrier showing the undercut flaplike start-up device; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As shown best in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the improved yarn carrier 10 embodying the start-up device of the invention comprises a cylindrical member advantageously formed of an extruded or injection molded thermoplastic material, the yarn carrier having the start-up device 11 disposed adjacent one end thereof. The yarn carrier 10 is mounted on a cantilevered winding chuck 12 of a yarn winding machine (for example, a draw twister machine) which rotates the yarn carrier at high speed in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. A yarn guide 13 is positioned above the yarn carrier 10 approximately midway between the ends of the yarn carrier, and a vacuum gun 14 is located below the yarn carrier adjacent the end thereof having the start-up device 11. A traverse mechanism comprising the traversing thread guide 15 mounted on the guide rod is disposed above the yarn carrier 14 between the yarn carrier 10 and yarn guide 13.

Prior to start-up the leading end of a strand of yarn 18, (for example, from a spinning machine or another yarn carrier) is led through the yarn guide 13 to the vacuum gun 14. At startup the strand of yarn 18 is moved laterally to enter the start-up device 11 where the strand is entrapped by the undercut flap of the device as hereinafter described. The yarn carrier 10 is rotated rapidly in a counter clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 2, and this causes the entrapped strand of yarn 18 to break between the point where it is entrapped by the flap of the start-up device 11 and the vacuum gun 14. The strand of yarn 18 is then abruptly moved by the rotation of the yarn carrier from the position indicated by the solid line 18 to the position indicated by the broken line 18a, as shown in FIG. 2. The strand of yarn is then picked up by the traversing thread guide 15 which causes the yarn to be wound helically on the rapidly rotating yarn carrier 10 in the manner known in the art. When the traversing thread guide 15 reaches the point at which the yarn is at the position indicated by the broken line 18b in FIG. 1, the thread guide 15 reverses its direction of travel and thereby causes a second layer or tier of yarn to be wound helically on the yarn carrier 10. This procedure is repeated until a complete yarn package comprising the yarn carrier having the desired amount of yarn wound thereon is obtained.

The start-up device 11 of the invention comprises an approximately tangentally disposed undercut yarn entrapping flap 20 integrally formed in the cylindrical wall of the yarn carrier at the outer surface and adjacent one end (preferably the forward end) thereof. The rearward end 21 of the flap is integral with the wall of the yarn carrier 10. The forward end 22 and one 1ongitudinal edge 23 of the flap 20 are undercut and open to receive a strand of yarn thereunder as shown best in FIG. 1. As shown in H6. 4 the under cut flap 20 is advantageously defined by at least one planar slit 24 formed in the wall of the yarn carrier adjacent the outer surface thereof. The slit 24 is disposed substantially perpendicular to a diameter of the yarn carrier with one longitudinal edge of the slit coinciding with the open longitudinal edge 23 of the flap 20 and the forward edge of the slit 24 coinciding with the open forward end of said flap 20.

Although the undercut yarn entrapping flap 20 may be defined by a single planar slit 24 as herein described, a secondplanar cut may be made in the outer surface of the wall of the yarn carrier 10 to form a flat surface 25 which provides a lead-in surface for the strand of yarn l8 entering the start-up device 11. In addition, the shape of configuration of the yarn entrapping flap 20 may differ from that shown in the drawings. For example, the forward end 22 of the flap 20 may be curved rearwardly and it may be positioned closer to the forward end of the yarn carrier than shown in the drawing. in addition, the longitudinal edge of the flap 20 opposite the edge 23 may also be open to receive the strand of yarn thereunder. The important considerations are that the rearward end of the flap 20 be integral with the wall of the carrier 10 and that at least one longitudinal edge of the flap 20 be undercut and open to receive a strand of yarn thereunder.

it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the term yarn as employed herein is intended to include all continuous strands of fibrous or filamentary materials, whether made of natural fibers or synthetic fibers or filaments.

I claim:

1. A cylindrical yarn carrier on which yarn is wound at high winding speeds to form a yarn package, the yarn carrier having a start-up device, said device comprising an approximately tangentally disposed undercut yarn entrapping flap integrally formed in the wall of the yarn carrier at the outer surface and adjacent one end thereof, the rearward end of the flap being integral with the wall of the yarn carrier and the forward end and one longitudinal edge of the flap being undercut and open to receive a strand of yarn thereunder.

2. The yarn carrier according to claim 1 in which the undercut yarn entrapping flap is defined by at least one planar slit formed in the wall of the yarn carrier adjacent the outer surface thereof, said slit being disposed substantially perpendicular to a diameter of the yarn carrier, one longitudinal edge of the slit coinciding with the open longitudinal edge of the undercut flap and the forward edge of the slit coinciding with the open forward end of said flap. 

1. A cylindrical yarn carrier on which yarn is wound at high winding speeds to form a yarn package, the yarn carrier having a start-up device, said device comprising an approximately tangentally disposed undercut yarn entrapping flap integrally formed in the wall of the yarn carrier at the outer surface and adjacent one end thereof, the rearward end of the flap being integral with the wall of the yarn carrier and the forward end and one longitudinal edge of the flap being undercut and open to receive a strand of yarn thereunder.
 2. The yarn carrier according to claim 1 in which the undercut yarn entrapping flap is defined by at least one planar slit formed in the wall of the yarn carrier adjacent the outer surface thereof, said slit being disposed substantially perpendicular to a diameter of the yarn carrier, one longitudinal edge of the slit coinciding with the open longitudinal edge of the undercut flap and the forward edge of the slit coinciding with the open forward end of said flap. 